Grain-car-door construction



Jan. 0 I J. L. MULLINS QRAIN CAR DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed May 26. 1924 2 Sheats-Sheet 1 mall-m,

J. 1.. MULLINS GRAIN CAR DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed May 26- 9 4 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented den' 2@, 1925.

JESSE L. MULLINS, G3 JUNCTION CITY, KANSAS.

GRAIN-CAR-DOOB- CONSTRUGTION.

Application filed May 26, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jnssn L. MULLiNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Junction City, in the countyof Geary and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Grain-Car- Door Construction, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful 0 improvements in grain cars and has for its principal object to provide a door construe-- t-ion therefor wherein a. pair of cooperating doors are slidably mounted on the car body, the adjacent edges of which are provided with interlocking means whereby the car door is provided with grain tight fit when the doors are in a closed position thereby preventing any possibility of the grain within the car from leakin therethrough and thus saving large quantities of grain which ordinarily are lost by reason of the loose fitting grain doors now in use.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a grain car door construction of the above mentioned character, wherein means is provided for locking the doors in a closed position against accidental opening, means being further provided for holding the doors against movement when the same are in an open position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a grain car door construction of the above mentioned character, wherein the door frame and the floor of the car are reinforced to withstand the rough usage to which grain cars are usually subjected and furthermore the grain car doors are also reinforced.

A still further object is to provide a grain car door construction of the above mentioned.v character, which is simple in con struction, inexpensive, strong and durable and furthermore adaptedv for the purposes for which it is designated.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of a grain car showing the door in a closed position.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view til Serial No. 715,976.

taken approximately on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a similar section showing one of the doors in an open position, the same being locked in such position.

Figure 4: is a sectional view taken approximately on line it- 1: of Figure 1, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing one of the guide rollers supported on the side of the grain car.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail sectional \lGW through the latch, in the position shown in Figure 1, showing the manner in whichsaid latch cooperates with the lock ing members mounted on the doors.

In the drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 1 designates the side of a grain car and the same is provided with the usual door frame 2, Secured to the front face of the door post- 3 are the angular metallic door jambs 4t and 5 respectively. Fastened to the floor of the car and disposed below the door opening 2 is the metallic plate 6 and the same provides a means for enabling the grain doors 7 and 8 respectively to slide thereon in the manner hereinafter to be more fully described.

The doors are preferably formed of steel, although any other suitable material may be substituted therefor and I do not wish to limit myself to the particular kind of material to be used. The ends: of the doors are provided with the angular metal strips 9and 10 respectively and the same extend vertically along the outer side edges of the doors and are secured thereto by any suitable fastening means such as is shown at 11. These metallic angular strips are adapted to cooperate with the angular door ambs 4 and respectively when the doors are in a closed position in the manner clearly illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings. The inner adjacent ends of the doors are provided with the interfitting members 12 and 13 and the construction thereof is more clearly illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings.

For the purpose of holding the door sec tions in a closed position whereby the grain within the car will be prevented from leak ing through the door sections, I provide the latch 14 which is pivotally supported at 15 on one of the door sections 7 and the same is adapted to extend over and in engagement with the keepers 16 and 17 arranged on the inner -adjacent ends of the doors 7 and 8 respectively. A set screw such as is shown at 18 is threaded in the free end or" the latch in the recessed portion thereof for cooperation with the keeper 17 on the door 8 whereby the inner adjacent ends of the doors are brought together and held in locked engagement with each other. Then it is desired to open the door, the set screw is released and the latch 17 is swung out of engagement with the keeper into the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. For normally holding the latch in an unlocked position and against swinging movement on the door section upon which the same is pivotally mounted, I provide the latch receiving and securing means such as is illustrated at 19. a

The lower portions of the doors are furtherprovided with openings 20 and 21 respectively whereby the grain within the car may be discharged and normally the openings are closed by the slidable plates 22 and and the latter may be controlled from the outside of the car in any well known manner. As the provision of the grain outlet opening in car doors is well known in the art, a further detailed description of the same is not thought necessary.

Arranged on the side of the car adjacent the respective sides of the door opening and in line with the upper edge of the doors are the brackets 24 and the same support the guide rollers 25 in the manner more clearly shown in Figure 5 or the drawings. Any number of these guide rollers and brackets therefor may be provided as is desired and adapted to cooperate with the guide rollers are the angle irons 26 and 27 secured to the upper edges of the doors 7 and 8 respectively. The angular flanges are adapted to slide over the rollers so that the doors may be readily moved to an open position. It is also to be understood that the angular flanges are of such construction as to enable the doors to be moved laterally for the purposes hereinafter to be more fully described. Extending over the guide rollers and the angular flanges secured to the upper edges of the doors are the protecting members. As the purpose thereof is well known in the art it is not thought necessary to further describe the same. Secured to the side 1 of the car on each side oi the door opening and at predetermined points are the securing blocks 29 the same being supported centrally of the side of the car by any suitable fastenin means such as is shown at 30. Each block is provided with an openingBl for the purpose of receiving the outer side edge of each door when the same is moved to an open position in the manner to be presently described.-

Normally the doors are in a closed posiso that access may be hadto the interior of the car, the latch is released fromthe keeper and swung back to the position as shown 11] the dotted lines in Figure 1 of the drawings. 7

The doors are then moved in opposite directions so that the same will slide on the guide rollers 25 and after the door opening has been completely uncovered by the door sections. each door is moved laterally so as to enable the angular strip on the outer edge of ea'ch door to be receivedin the opening 31 provided in each block 29. Simultaneously the inner edge of each door will have its strip in engagement with the flanged jamb to secure the door in an unlocked position against accidental movement, a wedge such as is shown at 32 is adapted to be driven into the opening 31 and will force the door toward the jamb whereby the memberon the i inner edge of the door will engage the jamb and will be secured in lockedengagement therewith. In this manner each door will be secured in an unlocked position and when it is desired to close the opening in the car, the wedges arereleased from engage ment with the outeredges of the doors and the blocks 29, eaclrdooris then moved rearwardly a slight distance so as to cause the inner edges of each door to be brought out of. engagement with the angular doorjambs and by moving the door sections laterally, the same may then be brought into position so as to enable the flanges on the upper edges of the doors to slide over the rollers and return the doors to their normal positions over the opening so that the members 12 and 13 on the inner adjacent edges of the door may interlock.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing description, that a grain car door constr ction has been provided which is strong and durable and further of such a construction as to enable the same to be readily secured in a locked or unlocked position as is'desired,

and the provision of a grain car door of the above mentioned character, will save considerable loss heretofore caused by the loose fitting grain car doors. The simplicity in which the doors are, constructed and operated enables a person to save considerable time and-labor in actuating the same and will furthermore be positive in its operation. While I have shown the pre ferred embodiment; of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. In a grain car having a door opening in the side thereof, a. pair of cooperating doors slidable on said side and adapted to close the opening, interfitting members secured to the inner adjacent sides of the doors, means for securing the doors in a closed position, comprising a latch pivoted to one of said doors, keepers on the adjacent sides of the doors adapted to receive the latch, and an adjusting screw associated with the free end of the latch and adapted to engage one of the keepers for forcing the doors together.

2. In a grain car having a door opening in the side thereof, a pair of cooperating doors slidable on said side and adapted to close the opening, interfitting members secured to the inner adjacent sides of the doors, means for securing the doors in a closed position, comprising a latch pivoted to one of said doors, keepers on the adjacent sides of the doors adapted to receive the latch, an adjusting screw associated with the free end of the latch and adapted to engage one of the keepers for forcing the latch together, and means for holding the doors in an unlocked position.

3. In a grain car having a door opening in the side thereof, a pair of cooperating doors slidable on the side of the car and adapted to close the openin interfitting members secured to the inner adjacent sides of the doors, angular jambs on the door posts of the opening, angular strips on the outer sides of the doors and adapted to engage the angular jainbs when the doors are in a closed position, means for securing the doors in a closed position, means for holding the doors in an unlocked position, said last mentioned means comprising blocks on said sides spaced from the door opening, said blocks being slotted, said doors being adapted for slidable movement in opposite directions to uncover the opening, and being further adapted for lateral movement whereby the doors are positioned between the angular door jambs and said blocks, the angular strips on the outer sides of the doors being received in the slots of the blocks, the opposite sides of the doors being adapted for engagement with the angular jambs, and means for holding the doors in locked engagement with the angular jambs and blocks.

4. In a grain car having a door opening in the side thereof, a pair of cooperating doors slidable on the side of the car and adapted to close the opening, interfitting members secured to the inner adjacent sides of the doors, angular jambs on the door posts of the opening, angular strips on the outer sides of the doors and adapted to engage the angular jambs when the doors are in a closed position, means for securing the doors in a closed position, means for holding the doors in an unlocked position, said last mentioned means comprising blocks on said sides spaced from the door openin said blocks being slotted, said doors being adapted for slidable movement in opposite directions to uncover the opening, and being further adapted for lateral movement whereby the doors are positioned between the angular door j ambs and said locks, the angular strips on the outer sides of the doors being received in the slots of the blocks, the opposite sides of the doors being adapted for engagement with the angular jambs, means for holding the doors in locked engagement with the angular ambs and blocks, said last mentioned means comprising a wedge to be inserted in each block to move the inner sides of the doors into engagement with the an gular jambs.

5. In a grain car having a door opening in the side thereof, a pair of cooperating doors slidable on the side of the car adapted to close said opening, interfitting channel members secured on the adjacent inner sides of the doors, angular channel members secured to the outer sides of the doors, angular jambs on the door posts of the opening at the sides thereof, said angular channel members interfitting and interlocking with the angular jambs and the channel members on the adjacent edges of the doors interfitting when the doors are in closed position, and said interfitting channel members being adapted for interfitting engagement with the angular jambs in the open position of the doors, so that said doors may be rigidly maintained, in either open or closed position. In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

JESSE L. MULLINS. 

